Yamaha RD400 TZ – City of Hate Cycles

Written by Martin Hodgson.

It’s hard to deny that Yamaha made some exceptional motorcycles in the ‘70s. Two of those machines are arguably ‘ride before you die’ bikes; namely the insane RD two-strokes and the now legendary TZ racers of ‘King’ Kenny Roberts. So when Dallas bike builder Isiah Booth of City of Hate Cycles was commissioned to build a raffle bike for the Tenth Annual Dallas Rockers vs Mods gathering, he decided there was no better way to honour these two legends of the ’70s than to combine them into one hell of a machine. To get it done he found a 1977 RD400 and teamed up with Jason Small of Small Time Moto to build a very special race themed machine, nicknamed the ‘Giant Killer.’

The particular RD400 that Isiah found was in fairly poor condition, ok that’s being very kind, it was burnt and badly. Either there had been the kind of fire that occurs when 40-year-old electrics mix with petrol or someone had decided the seat would be a good place for a BBQ and then let the flames spread. But for this build the rear end wasn’t going to be used anyway and the engine itself while still smelling like overcooked steak was structurally intact. Stripped back to its bare bones it was built just the way a race bike should be, from the ground up! The entire tail section was cut off and Isiah fabricated a new rear that would match the TZ body work to be fitted later. The swingarm is new too, taken from an RD350lc, the tubular design brings to the party reduced weight and a monoshock setup. To complete this part of the build a new forward shock mount was then brilliantly fabricated so that the rear shock height can be adjusted if required.

With the basic frame completed it was back to the RD400 motor to fit back in as the heart of the beast and what an engine it is! With the later ’70s also came vehicle emissions tests and the 2 strokes were losing the war, so instead of go out with a whimper like much of its competition Yamaha built the RD400 as a fitting farewell to the blue smokers. A twin cylinder at just 398cc probably doesn’t sound like much to the modern generation, but as a 2 stroke with reed valves and twin Mikuni carbs a leading publication at the time gave this comparison. “If you rode the new Honda Hawk 400 four-stroke back-to-back with the Yamaha RD400E, you’d swear that Yamaha’s two-stroke jet would yank the headlight right out of the Honda”. If that’s not enough power Isiah fitted up a set of beautiful period correct expansion chambers for a few extra ponies and an unbelievable sound.

With that snappy power in place where the RD engine seemingly magnifies a quarter-inch turn at the twistgrip to a yards-long leap at the rear wheel Isiah made the very clever decision to fit a steering damper, taken from a YZF- R1. The rest of the front suspension remains relatively standard to keep the period correct look, a TZ replica would be all sorts of wrong with USD forks, but the already good front brakes are improved with a drilled rotor. Out back the new mono-shock assembly features an adjustable shock to allow the bike to be dialled in and the built-in height adjustability means riders of all sizes can tune the handling for just the way they like it. The RD is like its throttle response, a snappy handler, thanks to its short wheel base, short trail and low weight of 170kg fully loaded, but the wheels were far heavier than they should have been. No problem on this machine as they’ve been swapped out for the much lighter RD350 spoked items fitted with Avon rubber.

What really gives this build the TZ element of the merger of two giants is of course that legendary bodywork that became so well-known across the globe with all of King Kenny’s successes. The TZ250 fairing comes from Airtech Streamlining, fitted with a Gustafsson windscreen with Isiah making all the mounts in-house for a picture perfect fit. The legendary long tank and fender come from Meadspeed in the UK and again it was the job of City of Hate Cycles to expertly fit them to the frame, with lots of clever tricks utilised to make it look as if it was always meant to be.

With the bare body fitted up the paint gun was wielded by Jason who laid down the flawless paint in a true Yamaha theme of White and Red before the placement of factory decals give a look that would have been right at home in the race paddock. The final touch is the race number applied to celebrate the years Dallas Rockers vs Mods have been getting together.

Further adding some TZ racing credentials are the beautiful rearsets, adjustable, but mounted in true racer fashion for the rider to get down and stretch out over the tank. While up the front low mounted clips-ons match the theme perfectly and look race tidy with new a single switchblock and just a master cylinder for that minimalist look of the period. The only instrumentation is a tacho that was mounted on in-house fabricated metal work and that’s all the information you need on a tuned RD400, its full concentration or big problems.

Baby got back

So important was concentration and throttle control Cycle Source warned potential RD buyers “the RD400 serves notice: be careful and well, or be foolish and sorry”. With the bike complete you have a chance to be careful or foolish as raffle tickets are available to win the bike at the Tenth Annual Dallas Rockers vs Mods with a portion of the proceeds going to the Deep Ellum Community Association/Frankie 45 Suicide Prevention.

[Photos by Dat Mai] via PIPEBURN

Extreme Enduro (Nut Buster 2015)

perdu ?

WES MILLER BAJA 1000 RACE REPORT

Wes Miller #1988 Pro UTV Baja 1000 Race Report

This year’s SCORE Baja 1000 was a loop race, starting and finishing in Ensenada, Mexico. The course did a large counter clockwise circle around the upper third of the Baja peninsula and was being slated as a tough one.

Throughout the year, I have been racing the Rotation Motorsports’ Polaris RZR XP 4 1000 built by Lonestar Racing. I’ve been sharing driving duties with Dave Lazovsky and this race would be no different. We’ve had a great group of sponsors backing the program all year and were extremely impressed with everyone’s products, but decided to make a few changes for the 1000. Wes Elrod and Donny Powers prepped the car and did an amazing job. We went with BFG tires with Monster Seal on OMF wheels. Rich Morel built our motor and we dyno tuned it at Alba Racing. We also chose RCV axles and CV’s. While testing the car, it was working really well and I knew we had a car capable of winning the race.

After some extensive pre-running, we registered and tech’d the car. I drew 4th off the line, so we had a good start position. With 24 entries, the field was a who’s who of UTV desert racing. Several teams had new turbo cars, but I felt like they wouldn’t be a huge advantage since much of the course was slow and technical. This race would mark 20 years since my first Baja 1000 and I planned to use my experience to my advantage. My goal was to put the car in first physically by Ojos Negros, get a lead, and then maintain that cushion. But I also knew it’s a long race and you have to take care of the car.

At the start line my co-driver, Austin Adler and I watched the first few cars take off. Once we got the green flag, we were off and racing. I raced down the wash out of town, focused on reeling in the 3 cars ahead of me. Around race mile 6, I already caught the 1958 car that was following a Baja Challenge car. I quickly passed both and could see the tail lights of the next UTV. We came up on a 37mph speed zone in the dirt. To my surprise, the car ahead of me didn’t slow and maintained race speed. He pulled away a little, but I knew that it would equate to a huge time penalty. When we reached the first highway section, I saw the 1939 car pulled over to the side of the road placing us 2nd physically. After losing my mind going 37mph in the highway speed zone, we finally hit dirt and were back to race speed. I caught and passed a few more Baja Challenge cars. Then, I saw the tail lights of the lead UTV and after about 5 miles of dirt, we had caught the 1927 car. He was caught behind the 700 truck. I was already in the time adjusted lead since he had started a minute ahead of me. They both took a bad line and I made the pass for the physical lead. Once out front, I focused on putting as many cars between me and the UTV field while driving easy on the RZR. We worked our way through a seemingly endless string of racers and the dust was really bad in spots, making it difficult to see.

About halfway to Urapan, I noticed we were starting to have a mechanical issue that slowed us through the rough sections. The 1927 car did a good job of sticking around and I could see him close a few times when we were slowed. When we hit Highway 1, I had a slight lead over 1927. The road was blocked with traffic and it allowed him to close right on my bumper. We raced through the speed zone trying to go as close to 60mph as possible all the way to Santo Tomas. He pitted there and that gave me some breathing room.

From Santo Tomas to the coast is fairly smooth and I know that area like the back of my hand. I figured we could start to gap the field now. I pushed on the fast roads because I knew we were going to have to make an extended pit stop to fix the car fairly soon. Once on the coast, we hit some pockets of fog. It was so thick I could hardly see the course and my shield was covered with condensation. I drove with one hand on the wheel and the other wiping with a towel. We were pulling away and had a good lead.

As the course ran south along the coast, it started to get rough again. I had to dial it back a notch to preserve the car. The parts we needed were at BFG pit 2 and I needed to get the car there in one piece. After a while, I was able to see another car slowly closing. We stopped to pit in Camalu and took a can of fuel and installed the race lights. We run Baja Designs lights on a quick release bar, so we only run them when needed. While in the pits, the 1921 car went by. I pulled out and took chase soon after. He had about a 15-30 second gap and we maintained that distance most of the way to San Quintin. Just before BFG pit 2, the 1921 car pulled off to pit. We passed him and were now back in the lead. But soon after, we pit at race mile 203. We had several mechanical issues we had to address and were in the pit for about 30 minutes. In that time, several UTV’s passed.

We were still running well, but I was going to have to go into survival mode to try and get the car to the finish. We worked our way down the coast to El Rosario and headed east. The wash that runs parallel to town was full of silt and hard to follow the course. We hit a big mud hole that engulfed the RZR in mud. Soaking wet and cold, we headed into the mountains. We made it through the rocks and silt back to Highway 1 at race mile 283. Mechanical problems were starting to take their toll. We had more spare parts at BFG pit 3, so we continued to work our way there.

From race mile 288 to around 340, was some rough, rocky, and silty terrain. There were cars scattered everywhere. There was carnage all over the course with cars and trucks stuck in silt, broke down, flipped over, driven off cliffs, etc… We were just trying to make it to BFG pit 3 at this point and it was looking doubtful. We finally made to the pit and the car was in need of some serious work.

After an extended pit stop, we got going again only to make it a few miles and break. We limped it back on a side trail and fixed it again. The next time we made it about 25 miles and broke again. I found a trail on our gps and circled back to our pit. We assessed the car and finally made the decision to load up and head back to Ensenada. We were out of parts and the car was in rough shape. We had parted out our recovery RZR and were looking at over 100 miles of tough course ahead of us. With limited access, there would be no way of getting the car if it broke. All of that led to our decision to call it.

We had a good run going and I feel that it reflects flashes of what we can do. If the car had held together, I don’t think anyone was going to catch us. But that is part of desert racing and I don’t like excuses. I can’t say enough good things about the motor, suspension, tires, wheels, lights, etc… The RZR was simply bad ass. Congratulations to Matlock for winning and all of the teams that finished.

I really want to thank all of our crew and sponsors. You guys are amazing and I truly value everything you do. The RZR was the best it has ever been. Wes and Donny did a great job and put in countless hours of hard work to make this race possible. Thank you to Dave Lazovsky for being an awesome teammate and driver, and Austin Adler for co-driving with me. And a big thanks to BC Vaught and Rotation Motorsports for helping put this whole thing together.
We will win one of these soon!

Thank you to all of these companies that helped throughout the year.

Elrod Motorsports, rOtation Motorsports, Fox Shocks, Alba Racing, Rich Morel Race Engines, Lonestar Racing, BFG Tires, Jackson Motorsports Group, OMF Performance, GoPro, Rugged Radio, Polaris RZR, Mystik Lubricants, Kicker Audio, Pro Armor, Factory UTV, K&N Filters, Baja Designs, RCV Performance, Stratus Wear, Toy Skinz, Coldcock Whiskey, Monster Seal, Fly Racing, IMS, GBC, Hiper, Tire Blocks, Bikeman Performance.

Expedition Overland: Alaska/Yukon Ep1

Expedition Overland embarks on their dream to see the last frontier. Alaska and the Yukon! Learn the history of the team and follow their preparations for the adventure of their lives

NEW AND NOTED: MOTORCYCLE GEAR

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Killer new helmets from Nexx, a vintage-styled parka motorcycle jacket, and old-school leather pants made by a sexagenarian Portuguese leatherworker. This is the motorcycle gear we’re coveting right now.

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Nexx XG100 helmets Founded at the turn of the century, Nexx quickly made a name for itself with futuristic, lightweight helmets. The technology is pretty amazing: the Nexx Carbon Pure in XL size weighs a mere 1365 grams (a smidge over three pounds).

The Portuguese company has now turned its attention to the ‘retro’ market with the XG100, which is filtering into stores as we speak. Developed with the help of the builderMaria Riding Company, it’s a new spin on the classic full-face look—and there are several versions available with eye-catching graphics. Pricing ranges from $400 to $450 depending on the paintwork; we’ll take the blue ‘Muddy Hog’ with red visor, thanks. [Buy]

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REV’IT! Dayton Jacket If you grew up in England during the 1960s and 1970s, parkas were everywhere. Favored by Mods and catapulted into the public conscious by the film Quadrophenia, the occasional modern version pops up from the likes of high fashion brands like Paul Smith.

This new interpretation from REV’IT! is much more practical, though. It’s pitched as an urban jacket, but has a waterproof and abrasion resistant outer shell, CE-rated Knox armor and a pocket for an optional back protector. There’s a detachable thermal liner, and a button fastener to secure the hood when you’re riding. If you’re facing the onslaught of a northern hemisphere winter, you’ll be glad of the generous extra length too. [Buy]

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Earnest ‘Hardin’ Overall Earnest is a New Zealand company making traditional workshop overalls and aprons. (They’re based just up the road from Bike EXIF headquarters, actually.) The $109 Hardin overall is a slim fully-fitted cut, inspired by classic racetrack style—but with enough material and bi-fold panels to keep movement comfortable.

It’s made from tightly woven 100% cotton 12oz. duck canvas, which will not ‘pinhole’ if hit by sparks—unlike nylon or other synthetics. The panels are joined with triple reinforced seams, and for extra longevity, there are double layers in high wear areas. These overalls don’t just look good—they’re built to last. [Buy]

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Black Ember Neoruk Pack Black Ember is a new brand, but one to watch. It’s a team of experienced industrial designers based in San Francisco and specializing in high performance technical equipment. They make functional and weatherproof urban packs like this $265 Neoruk—a 25-liter pack constructed from waterproof, carbonate-coated, 1000-denier ballistic nylon.

The hardware is aluminum, there are padded sleeves inside, and there’s a removable shoulder harness with sternum straps. If you need to carry a laptop or work essentials on your bike, this is one of the most functional and stylish solutions around. [Buy]

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El Solitario ‘Rascal’ Pants Mass production has its benefits, but we’re still suckers for gear produced the old-fashioned way. Each one of these vintage-styled pants is painstakingly hand-made by a third generation leather craftsman in Portugal.

The raw material is fine top grain 1.3mm Nappa leather, both supple and durable. The fit is traditional, as the pants are held up by adjustable leather braces. But the zips are tough, modern YKK items, and you can specify pockets for armor if you wish. You can choose from beige or black, and the cost is €560. That’s obviously not cheap, but for gear that will last a lifetime and is made by a skilled leatherworker, it’s a very reasonable price to pay. Check out the video below and you’ll see what we mean. [Buy]

via Bikeexif

‘67 Honda Super Sport 125 – Bandit9

Written by Martin Hodgson.

Daryl “Dazza” Villanueva of Bandit9 fame is back and once again he has left convention at the door, stepped through a worm hole and pieced together a futuristic master piece that takes its inspiration from an old favourite, a 1967 Honda Supersport 125. “I’m back in Saigon after living in Beijing. The beauty of starting over is you feel like anything is possible, which coincidentally, I feel is lacking in the motorcycle industry. A sense of possibility.” So he has done exactly that; created a new fully functional piece of futuristic riding possibilities known as ‘AVA’ and available in a limited run of just nine, there are already orders from the US, Europe, and the Middle East. Five months ago when the project began Daryl had a very clear vision “I wanted something that didn’t look like it came from this era but from the generation ahead.” Inspiration from the past, a design for the future and all from right now as everything on the bike is brand new.

There is no doubt the first thing that hits you about AVA is the body work, it has that T-1000 liquid metal look from Terminator 2, almost as if it’s living and ready to transform. That liquid like finish is the result of dipping stainless steel into a chrome bath. But first it had to be fabricated and the explanation is best left to Daryl “Our designs start with the unibody tank and yes; it is made from one piece of steel. This would be impossible, or at least very expensive, for a machine to make since it is a closed shape where a lot of complex curves meet straight edges. It’s exactly like fitting a round peg in a square hole. Surprisingly, it’s possible by hand. It’s all about the template – finding the right shape and finding a way to close it.” The end result, of no gaps from the front of the tank to the tip of the tail is the sort of perfection all builders strive to achieve, but is impossible when using factory components. To achieve this result, a stainless steel unibody from a single sheet of metal is a huge achievement in and of itself, that it is part of a functional motorcycle is incredible.

Complementing the unibody was always going to be a difficult task as keeping those lines flowing forward of the steering head, where movement means gaps, but it’s been achieved with a beautiful front fairing that maintains the smooth flow of the overall design. “A headlight would have been a mistake since it would disrupt the liquidity of AVA’s form. So we opted for a fairing but we didn’t want the common bulbous shape. Instead, we borrowed the curves in the unibody and carried it onto the front side.” The side panels perform a similar task in that they cover a functional component, the frame, yet continue the theme at just the right quantity without ever being excessive. Formed over templates by hand the raised areas provide the perfect place to attach the only deviation from smooth lines, the Bandit9 logo, that in its simple elegance adds a touch of exclusivity, you wouldn’t de-badge a Rolls Royce.

Something tells us Dazza likes chrome…

Even the truly conventional components of AVA take on a form completely consistent with the flowing lines of the visually dominant body work. The swingarm of most modified motorcycles is rarely touched but Bandit9 have created a totally new item by sand casting a metal piece that looks as good as it functions. Included in the design are the lower supports for the twin monoshock design that only exposes itself as the viewing angle of the motorcycle changes. The front suspension takes on a raked out stance and with exposed springs in body matching chrome and with polished lower legs the most exposed design elements still stay with in the confines of the brief. Even the triple clamps hold their own amongst a litany of beautifully formed pieces with just the right amount of metal removed to create another feast for the eyes. Being a fully functional road bike the braking is more than adequate for the low weight with a drilled front rotor clamped by a twin piston caliper, while the small rear hub houses a Super Sport-styled drum brake.

The fully exposed, laid down, 125cc engine provides the most mechanical element of the visuals while reliably powering this rolling piece of art with enough poke to set the liquid metal into motion. The clever use of the body panelling as an airbox and a custom-made steel exhaust with minimalist muffler both follow similar lines in opposing directions creating a smooth symmetry around the square block. There is also a very important design aspect as to why this engine was chosen “The negative space is one of the best things about the Super Sport. Although it’s from the 60’s, I think the bike looks incredibly futuristic because of that hanging engine.” There are some things you can’t hide, hey it is a motorbike after all, but stainless brake lines, all new cabling that is only exposed where it has to be, results in the cleanest look you’re likely to achieve from a functional fairing-less machine.

Speaking of functionality, this bike gets ridden, a custom leather seat for comfort and not just around the block “Now that I think about it, I just went from Saigon to Hanoi in one of these. It’s a 2000 km journey from the south to the north of Vietnam in 5 days. We went through asphalt, rock, desert, inclines, rain, mud, you name it.” Those functional components include the unique clip-ons that have dual angles to bring them back closer to the rider while still maintaining the stretched out riding position. They support the a new pair of levers and neat metal master cylinder, with custom switches and black grips to break up the metal. One of those switches activates the forward facing twin projector lights that are cleverly mounted to the right side of the bike using the fender holes on the fork. There is even a horn hidden under the front fairing and the rearsets with knurled pegs for extra grip even in terrible conditions. The simple speedo reflects its image back over the chrome finish of the metal, but the fuzz will probably have bigger questions than “Do you know how fast you were travelling” if you’re stopped on board AVA.

Narcissists may have trouble watching the road

The spoked wheels with vintage rubber is a neat tip of the cap to the ’67 heritage of the Super Sport but if Daryl had his way things would be very different. “Man, if we weren’t bound by gravity or physics, the wheels would be gone. It’d look much cooler without them! Now I’m thinking about contacting those hoverboard guys to outfit their tech on our bikes…” Which is what makes the Bandit9 builds so special, Daryl isn’t thinking about the now, but the future and coming up with ideas that could be part of a very different motorcycling experience in years to come.

But until he builds a spaceship it still needs wheels, so what’s it like to ride? “Ludicrous. It’s so out-of-place on the streets because it barely looks like a motorcycle. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Saigon or New York; it turns heads. I like that, not to show off, but because it piques people’s interest. People don’t ask me what brand it is. They ask, what the hell is that?”

via PIPEBURN

CAFE RACER DREAMS SR250 #67

The Cafe Racer Dreams custom freight train shows no sign of slowing down, and why should it. The order book is bulging, benches are full and the queue of satisfied customers stretches around the block. Pedro and the team are well on their way towards build number 100 and their archive here on the Bike Shed runs to a couple of pages. Although well known for BMW Airhead builds they have form when it comes to delivering handsome city lane splitters to discerning ladies and gents across Europe.

Juan from Madrid wanted exactly that, a light and flickable machine to dodge rush hour traffic but without sacrificing style. A nondescript scooter will get you across town but they rarely put a smile on the riders face. Juan also wanted to be reminded of the wider expanses of freedom outside of the capital so requested the now familiar scrambler theme. That said, anyone who’s spent any time in rural Spain will know that it doesn’t take a huge amount of effort to find a dirt track once outside the city limits so Juan is bound to enjoy the results of CRD’s efforts.

A Yamaha SR250 from 1983 was the lucky recipient of a complete overhaul and given a new lease of life. These single-pot motors go on forever and rarely need ripping apart, saving time and expense for the often more rewarding aesthetic revamp. Crackle finish paint with raw cooling fin edges is a timeless look and in this case adds to the dark and moody looks of the matt black tank and side panels.

A benefit of of having been through the R&D on the previous 60+ builds is that certain parts can be pulled off the shelf and fitted giving Juan more bang for his buck. Ally mudguards have been given the Scotch Brite treatment to wind back the clock for a more retro feel.

To maintain the classic scrambler theme a comfy, thick seat was made and covered with proper waxed cotton from the purveyors of water repellent excellence, Barbour. Combined with the rear loop for a grab rail Juan should be able to squeeze a companion onboard for ripping through the congested city. Ladies in short skirts might want to ride side saddle to avoid the side exit zorst but form the looks of things Juan is going to be having too much fun to worry about passengers.

Plain, simple and understated is often the order of the day at Cafe Racer Dreams and when the recipe tastes this good why change it. By the time this feature is published Pedro and the guys will have probably already finished the paint on #68 .

via The Bike Shed